heads up! and fall in love
by alice hattercandy
Summary: AU/ In which he looks up, and she falls down. A classic fairytale story. Or not, so very not.


**title.** heads up! and fall in love**  
summary. **in which he looks up, and she falls down. A classic fairytale story. Or not, so very _not._**  
prompt. **_freefall_  
**note.** short, short piece. And this is for ONE OF THE SWEETEST, MOST LOVABLE PUMPKINS EVER LIVED TSUKIKO-CHYAN. belated happy birthday, you sweet, sweet girl :D hope you like this simple piece XD over a thousand words, so i didn't include this in _chocolate- _my lovely recycle bin_._**  
disclaimer. **a-huh. applied.**  
warning. **AU? Sorry! :D

_.

* * *

**i.**

It is autumn, when it happens.

It is autumn, when she falls.

It is autumn, when he looks up.

It is autumn, when a fairytale begins.

…

…

**ii.**

(just for the record, he does _not_ consider it a fairy tale, because he's a _boy, _a _man_ and –

"I'm not a prince." He scoffs.)

…

…

**iii.**

"I pity you."

"…want me to fracture your jaw, Keigo?"

"You're hopeless."

"Shut it, _four eyes._"

"You need help."

"Huh? Even you, Chad?!"

"…listen to me."

"Like I'd even _try, _you skirt-chasing weirdo."

"If you refuse to fall in love, then love will fall on you, love will knock you out."

He opens his mouth to counter, but is interrupted.

"_Literally._"

…

…

**iv.**

Kurosaki Ichigo's lip curls in a sneer as he looks over his shoulder to his four male friends. He is someone you could call _handsome,_ but as of the moment, he is not _so _handsomely. The expression he wears tells you he smells something repulsive and it is right under his nose. The wind tousles his messy hair, and some orange locks fall over his dark brown eyes and into the space between his furrowed eyebrows.

"That's," he stresses with a smirk, "the lousiest shit I've ever heard."

Mizuiro shrugs, and flips his phone open.

Ichigo arches an eyebrow, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he turns to face his friends. "Who'd believe that crap? This is _reality_, not some crappy soap opera you see in TVs."

His friend smiles serenely. "Let's see, Ichigo."

A vein pulses in Ichigo's temple. "Sorry, but I don't believe in _falling in love _crap." He glares pointedly, annoyed.

"Again: _Let's see, Ichigo._"

The pulsing vein twitches. "Cut it out! You're freaking me out! So what if I _lack _exciting, love story?" Ichigo snarls the last two words as though they are poison. "I'm not like you! I don't need a _girl _hanging on my biceps. That's crap, I keep telling you!"

Mizuiro gives an indulgent nod, his thumb moving across the keypad of his cell phone. "Okay."

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

"Do I have to? You're practically breathing _to _my face."

Ichigo grits his teeth and leans back. "Then, keep that in mind. I don't need _a love life. _I don't need a girl –"

"So, you'd prefer a _male–_"

"Do you want me tear your eyes out, Ishida?"

The dark-haired gives him a sharp appraisal. "Your choice of words is disturbing."

Ichigo lets out an exasperated growl. "What the hell is wrong with you, guys?! What's with this sudden interest –"

"I am _not _interested, Kurosaki," Ishida interrupts. Ichigo ignores him, however.

"— in my lack of love life?! And _don't –_ don't dare make a fucking comment, Keigo, if you want to live longer."

"But—"

"Not a word!" he snaps, aggravated.

"Oi!" the boys look around and see their female friend, Arisawa Tatsuki, looking up. "Heads up!" she calls out.

The boys look up as one entity.

"Eh?" Keigo exclaims intelligently. Wisely, Ishida, Sado and Mizuiro step back. Sado grabs Keigo's collar and pulls him back, nearly choking the boy. However, Ichigo keeps looking up, frowning.

He is, for some odd reason, transfixed.

A vision in white, with wisps of red-gold, is falling. A snowflake? Lace? A maple leaf and… snow?

He is… mesmerized.

"Ichigo!"

He blinks, the spell lifts and his reflexes kick in. He moves to step out of the way, but something catches his attention.

"_Kyaaa!_"

Ichigo stiffens and looks up, wide-eyed. _What the hell… it's —?!_

White and red-gold blind him for a while and there is – _omph._

The impact is not as painful as he have imagined or expected. For whatever it is, it is _soft_, it is frail, like a fallen leaf or flower. And it smells like red bean paste cupcakes and strawberries. But a wince tugs at his lips as his back hits the pavement, his arms move instinctively upwards to clutch at the _something _that conveniently settles on top of him.

"It's alive?" Keigo murmurs, eyes wide.

"Apparently," answers Ishida.

"What…" Ichigo is stunned for a while. "What the hell was _that!?_ Do I look like… uh, uh…" He feels his face burn, catching a glimpse of long lashes and long copper sheet.

And big, honey-colored eyes.

They are the largest eyes he has ever seen – so bright, so large that they remind him of dolls Yuzu loves to play dress up with. The lashes surrounding those eyes are impossibly thick.

"Hi!"

_It _talks.

And… and does a face like _that _actually exist in real life? He thinks and believes that a face like _that _exists in fairytales or billboards in the city. The face looks… _so _unreal that he itches to touch it and maybe, _just maybe _tangle his hand in those thick yarns of auburn to make sure it is _real_.

"What are you doing down _there?_"

Ichigo fights the urge to stare and gape like a fish. However, he fails, epically. His mouth opens, and words tumble out of his mouth.

"_It's - __it's _a girl?!" Keigo interrupts with an indignant yell, and Ichigo is grateful.

The vision in white looks up and smiles. "Hello! I'm Inoue Orihime!" Ichigo feels her gaze rather than sees it. "Who are _you_? I like your hair! It's bright!"

Ichigo twitches, _who is this girl!? And she fell from…_

"Yup! I fell from Heaven!"

They gape, including Ichigo.

"…Heaven Hotel! See?" She points upward at the tall, made-of-glass building. "I'm from the 14th floor and –"

"14th floor?" Tatsuki echoes in disbelief.

"— I flew but apparently, I forgot my wings and I … uh, um, I'm on top of you…?"

Ichigo clears his throat. "Obviously." He shifts under her, uncomfortable. "So, do you… mind?"

"Mind… what?"

"Getting off…? You're –"

Keigo cries out, "don't tell me you're having a –"

Ichigo growls, eyes flashing, and his ears are red. "Talk and I'll sprain your jaw."

Keigo obediently quiets.

"Well…?" Ichigo prompts, frown deepening as he watches her neck. His gaze lifts to her face, and temporarily, a bright smile blinds him.

"Of course! Thank you so much for catching me!"

"I didn't catch you," he mumbles, and he likes, for _another_ odd reason, the feel of red hair on his face. "You _fell _on me."

She makes a long "ah", nodding in understanding. "I am lucky, then?"

"Something like that. Now, can you… get off?"

Honey eyes blink, and there is another blinding smile. "Yes, yes!"

She is clumsy for someone _so_ beautiful, he realizes as he watches her try and fail to get up.

"Oops. Sorry! I'm um, very – ah! Sorry for _falling on _you, Scowl-san!" Finally, she manages to lift herself off of him, while Ichigo sits up. But her white dress is long and makes her more beautiful, and –

Curse the soap operas, _curse _Fates and curse the person who crafted the word _cliché _because when she steps on the hem of her dress, she tips forward.

The spectators watch in horror (and concealed excitement).

However, instead of a fairytale result of fireworks, glitters and butterflies in the stomach, Ichigo does not receive a kiss from a princess, but a painful and loud _bam!_

"Huh?" She blinks curiously.

Ichigo falls back to the ground, boneless, his eyes losing focus.

"What happened?" A gasp. "Oh no! Oh no! I am so sorry, Scowl-san! I'm so sorry! I think I hit your head –"

"No. You _did _hit his head." Tatsuki corrected with a sweat-drop.

"— and this is supposed to be a secret but you see, my head is made of Super Gundanium Alloy! I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me!"

Ichigo feels faint, his vision is cloudy, and there are stars, there are supernovas spinning around his head. For one funny moment – _yes, _it is funny – he hears or imagines Mizuiro's advice, echoing, mocking him.

"_If you refuse to fall in love,_

His eyes snap wider in horror.

"Oh hell no…"

Their eyes meet.

"Scowl-san?"

_then love will fall on you,_

She smiles.

And it is beautiful.

His horror intensifies. _Oh fuck no, FUCK NO, I refused! I won't—_

_love will knock you out."_

Literally.

…

…

**v.**

Let us give Ichigo some credit, shall we?

He tries – he _does_ – to keep awake.

After all, a fairy tale is not supposed to include a headbutt, a princess whose head is made of Super Gundanium Alloy and a prince who, sadly, is a…

"PLEASE, WAKE UP! I AM SO SORRY I KILLED YOU!"

Yes, yes.

"Loser."

Tatsuki, Ishida, Keigo, Mizuiro (and Sado) chorus blankly in the background.

…

…

**vi.**

It is autumn, when it happens.

It is autumn, when she falls.

It is autumn, when he looks up.

It is autumn, when a fairytale begins.

…

…

**vii.**

(and yes, he believes in fairytales.

But that's a secret.)


End file.
